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6
Jenner
The instant the Niall farmhouse came into view the next morning, I got a shot of energy that I normally lacked this far into my daily run. From the moment I’d opened my eyes that morning, all I could think about was Doe. Not unusual—she was rarely far from my thoughts—but this was different. Now I knew what she tasted like, the way she looked right after she came, how she clung a little closer when I kissed her goodnight at her truck.
I ached to see her. As I got closer and spotted her sitting on the top steps of the porch, I increased my speed. The need to touch her again was too much to resist.
I was several yards away when she got to her feet and walked down the steps, reaching the bottom just as I stopped in front of her. Dressed in jeans and a red flannel open over a black T-shirt, she had her hair pulled back in a tight ponytail, and she was holding a bottle of water in one hand along with a cup of coffee in the other. The smile she gave me was shy as she looked up at me through her lashes.
“Good morning,” she greeted quietly, the streetlights casting a soft glow over her in the predawn darkness. “I thought you might be thirsty,” she said as she offered me the water.
“Thanks, baby.” I took the bottle from her then extracted the mug from her hands, rubbing my thumb over her palm as I did. Taking a sip, I committed the taste to memory so I would know what to get at the grocery store to have in my fridge for her.
She stared at me in openmouthed surprise as I swallowed and gave the mug back to her. Taking it from me, she kept her eyes glued to my mouth, her tongue teasing me as it swept over her bottom lip.
Not even bothering to fight the growl that filled my throat, I bent my head for a slow, deep kiss. The bottle of water hit the ground as I cupped her ass in both hands. I was covered in sweat, but I wanted to soak her in it, make her smell like me to warn anyone who got near her that she was taken.
She wrapped her free hand around the back of my neck, her nails stroking over my skin. Groaning, I deepened the kiss, wanting to taste all the way to her soul if possible. With a little whimper, she pressed closer, her curves rubbing against me. My cock tented my basketball shorts, fighting to get closer to her.
“Fuck,” I muttered as I lifted my head, both of us breathing hard. “I need to let you go before I push you up against your parents’ house and do very bad things to your sweet pussy, little lamb.”
“I might be okay with that,” she panted.
“I’ll keep that in mind, baby.” Dropping another kiss on her lips, I had to force myself to take a step back. “Can I see you tonight?”
“I would like that,” she murmured shyly.
I stroked my hand down her arm as I bent to pick up the bottle of water. “I’ll pick you up around six.”
“O-okay.”
Unable to resist, I stole one more kiss before running back the way I’d just come. After a shower and some breakfast, I got dressed and walked over to check in with Violet. The football season had ended in January for Tennessee when they’d lost the AFC championship game. They’d come so close to going to the Super Bowl, but there was always next year.
Luca would have spring training shortly, so I knew she wasn’t planning on making any trips anytime soon, and with him home so much for the moment, he didn’t tend to want her to leave the house without him, which meant I wasn’t needed as often. Luca liked his alone time with Violet and Love Bug, and when I was with them, I drew even more attention to the famous couple.
I knocked on the back door twice before opening it and stepping into the kitchen. Violet stood by the coffeemaker. Dressed in a purple robe with her hair in a messy bun, she looked so much younger than she was, which was only barely twenty. Krush sat at her feet, huffing because he wanted a treat or attention or both. At the table, Love Bug was in her high chair, an assortment of Cheerios and sliced fruit in front of her while she drank juice from her favorite sippy cup.
“Good morning,” Violet greeted.
“Morning.” Crossing to the table, I dropped a kiss on top of the baby’s head, and she rewarded me with a happy squeal. Lifting her hand, the chubby fist wrapped around a blueberry, she offered it to me. I accepted it, knowing if I didn’t, she would pout, and my heart couldn’t handle the sight of that pout when it was directed at me.
“I’m just going to hang out here today,” Violet informed me as she poured herself a huge mug of coffee once it was done dripping into the pot. “Shaw is coming over later, so we’ll just be chilling out in the family room.”
“Okay. Let me know if anything changes.” I took a seat at the table, leaving Luca’s place directly beside Love Bug empty. “I have a date tonight.”
She paused with her mug at her mouth, her violet eyes growing huge. I heard her gulp her coffee down and then the cup was nearly slammed on the counter. “Shut up!” She practically bounced over to me. “Tell me it’s with Doe, or I’m never speaking to you again.”
I leaned back in my chair, grinning up at her. “How could it be with anyone but Doe?”
She playfully shoved at my arm. “It’s about damn time.”
“Language!” Luca grumbled as he walked into the kitchen. Dressed in only a pair of basketball shorts, he gave his girlfriend a shake of his head before shooting a look at their daughter. “Little ears hear everything, babe. She’s been talking up a storm lately.”
“Da-da-da-da-da,” Love Bug jabbered to prove his point.
“Yeah,” Violet said with a roll of her eyes. “She’s adding so many words to her vocabulary. And oddly enough, ‘Mommy’ or ‘Momma’ isn’t one of the words she can say.”
He gave her a smirk as he wrapped an arm around her tiny waist and bent to kiss her. “We’ve been working on that one, I swear.”
“Da-da-da!” Love Bug yelled, grabbing her daddy’s attention.
When his brown eyes landed on her, his whole face changed. “Does my princess want pancakes?”
“Luca!” Violet scolded. “She has cereal and fruit. She doesn’t need pancakes.”
“Fine,” he sighed. “Pancakes are for Sunday mornings anyway. Right, Love?”
“Da-da-da,” the baby agreed with a nod of her blond head.
Snickering, Violet went back to fetch her coffee and sat at the table across from me. “So, where are you going on this date?”
“Date?” Luca’s ears perked up at that. “Let me guess, you and Doe?”
“Who else would I take out?” My huff could have competed with Krush’s.
“Heck if I know,” the pro baller said with a shrug as he took his seat beside his daughter. “That girl gets within a hundred yards of you, and you can’t take your eyes off her.”
“Well?” Violet pushed. “What do you have planned for tonight?”
“I thought we would keep things simple tonight. Dinner, maybe a movie?”
She lifted a brow at me. “Are you asking or telling?”
“Maybe both,” I muttered sheepishly. “Do you know when I last went on an actual date? It’s been at least six years. Definitely before I enlisted. And back then, it was more about what I could get out of the date than wanting to impress the girl.” I grabbed the back of my neck and squeezed. “But that’s not the case this time. I want something more with Doe.”
“Aww,” Violet gushed.
“Dude, that girl is already half in love with you,” Luca stage-whispered.
“Luca!” Violet admonished. “You can’t tell him that!”
“What now? Am I lying?”
She sighed but shook her head, and I found myself grinning like a fool. Doe was already half in love with me? I knew she liked me, but I had no idea that she was feeling anywhere close to what I was. Fuck, seeing Doe earlier and knowing I would again later had already made my day. But this, it made my whole year.
Luca slapped me on the back. “Whatever you do, trust me, you’re going to win her over.”
“He’s right,” Violet agreed. “She will enjoy tonight no matter what you do, because she’ll be with you.”
Luca’s hand came down on my back again, but this time, it was harder, and instead of lifting his hand right away, he gave my shoulder a warning squeeze. “Just don’t break that girl’s heart, man. You’ll have all three of her brothers after you for sure, but worse than that, you’ll have the rage monster himself hunting you down. The only one who can control that beast is Aunt Marissa, and if you hurt her baby girl, she’s more likely to hand him the loaded gun than stop him from murdering you.”
I shrugged off his hand. “I won’t hurt her. Ever.”
Violet clapped her hands together with a little squeal. “I’m so excited. You two are perfect for each other. Shaw and I have been talking about it for weeks now.”
“Months,” Luca amended with a grunt.
“Months,” she said with a nod. “I may have even planned your wedding in my head.”
“Not in her head,” Luca stage-whispered again. “She has an entire file on the office computer dedicated to ‘Doe and Jenner Forever and Ever Wedding Ideas.’”
“Snitch,” she said with a faux glare before bursting into giggles, making Luca’s eyes shift several different shades of brown at once as he looked at her. The first time I saw that rapid color change, I’d thought it was a trick of the light. And then when I’d realized it wasn’t, I’d thought maybe I was having a stroke. But it was some genetic thing because his dad’s did the same thing, as did his identical twin brother’s and nephews’. “Okay, it’s true. But only because I think you two belong together.”
“So does Shaw. And Mia. And Nevaeh. And Arella. Not to mention my sister-in-law Mila is—” he made his voice higher, trying to imitate his brother’s wife’s voice “—‘one hundred percent on board with the two of you hooking up and making gorgeous babies.’”
“I’m telling her you did that,” Violet threatened. “And then I’m telling Lucy you were being mean again, and she is totally going to kick your a-s-s.”
“Ah, babe, come on. Now Love Bug is going to know how to spell the bad words you say in front of her.”
“I’m texting Lucy right now,” she warned.
“We are two hours ahead of Lucy and Mila. You text or call them right now and they will be ready to kick some booty, but it won’t be mine.” He winked when she just narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re only mad because you know I’m right.”
“I’m not mad.”
“Are too,” he argued. “You’ve been mad since the waitress called me sweetheart last night.”
“Am not,” she argued. “And she didn’t call you sweetheart. She called you—” She broke off and pressed her lips into a firm line when Luca propped his head on his hand and fluttered his lashes at her, waiting for her to finish that last sentence.
“No, no, go on. I’m listening. What did she call me?”
“You’re such a d-i-c-k!” she hissed at him.
“True, but who does it belong to, Vi?”
“Me!” She growled. “You’re mine, Thornton.”
He pushed his chair back in a rush. He and I were about the same size, but it still amazed me how much quicker he was than me at times. Luca was around the table and had Violet tossed over his shoulder before I could shift my own chair back.
“Luca!” Violet squealed. He slapped her on the ass, causing her to moan. “Luca, stop! Jenner is right there.”
“I didn’t even look at that waitress last night,” he grumbled. “But you’ve been in a mood ever since. Yo, Jenner, watch my princess for me. I gotta go prove to her momma that the only one who owns me is this woman.”
Fighting a laugh, I assured him I would take care of Love Bug, but I doubted either of them heard me because they were already gone before I could finish speaking.
